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California's state legislature has started review of the High-Speed Rail Authority's controversial $68.4 billion high-speed rail project. "We believe the entire program has value and will continue to have value, and we will not build any new legs unless we have the dollars," said CHSRA Chairman Dan Richard. CHSRA is scheduled to release the environmental impact report by Friday.

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The California High-Speed Rail Authority said it will provide $600,000 in grants to the city of Palmdale, Calif., to explore options for construction of a new high-speed rail station. "Palmdale is a growing region, and high-speed rail will help meet those demands with an efficient and cleaner mode of transportation," said CHSRA's Dan Richard.

Crews have started geotechnical testing on the first leg of California's $68.4 billion high-speed rail project in Fresno. Samples of subsurface soil along the route will be tested to help engineers determine which type of foundations will be needed for new overpasses and other structures in each area. Meanwhile, the California High-Speed Rail Authority has started work on acquiring the right of way it needs for the project.

Ridership and revenue estimates by the California High-Speed Rail Authority for a $68.4 billion high-speed rail project are "reasonable," according to an audit by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The audit "gives us even greater confidence to go forward," said CHSRA Chairman Dan Richard. Meanwhile, a public meeting is scheduled this week to solicit feedback on the proposed 155-mile Northern Lights Express project -- a high-speed rail line that would make much use of BNSF tracks between Minneapolis and Duluth, Minn.

Environmental impact studies of the initial route of California's high-speed train between Merced and Fresno were approved by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The approval is a key step to allow the authority to file for government permits and select contractors. "Today we reached a major milestone toward making high-speed rail a reality," said CHSRA Chairman Dan Richard.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has approved a revised business plan for the state's $68.4 billion high-speed rail project. The vote was preceded by public comment, much of it -- but not all -- favoring the bullet train. CHSRA Chairman Dan Richard likened contention over the project to the early stages of work on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in the San Francisco Bay area. "This project will have a similar impact and people will look back and say, 'Thank God they did it,'" he said. The proposal now moves to the state legislature.